What the applicant code is
The applicant code (in Korean, teukheo gogaek beonho, "patent customer number") identifies a person or an organisation in KIPO's records. Applications, amendments, payments and transfers all refer to it. It is issued once per applicant and does not expire, so a company that has filed in Korea before usually already has one.
Who needs one
Every applicant of a patent, utility model, design or trademark application in Korea — Korean or foreign, company or individual. With joint applicants, each of them needs a code. Inventors who are not applicants do not need one.
How a foreign applicant obtains one
- Return sheet. We send you a short form asking for the applicant's name in English, address, nationality or country of incorporation and, for a company, its legal form.
- Registration. We file the request with KIPO as your Korean agent. The Korean rendering of the name follows KIPO's transliteration practice.
- Code issued. KIPO issues the code and we pass it on to you. We then use it for the filing and keep it on record for future cases.
No notarisation or legalisation is needed. In our online orders, obtaining the code is included in the filing fee.
If you already have a code
Give it to us with your instructions: it saves a step. If the applicant's name or address has changed since the code was issued, KIPO's record must be updated before or together with the filing, so tell us about any change.
Applicant code and power of attorney
The code identifies the applicant; the power of attorney authorises us to act for it. Both are needed. A signed scan of the power of attorney is accepted.
Questions
What is a KIPO applicant code?
A number the Korean Intellectual Property Office issues to each applicant. It identifies the applicant in all filings and is used again for every later case in Korea.
Does a foreign company need a Korean applicant code?
Yes. Every applicant needs one before a patent, utility model, design or trademark application can be filed in Korea. Your Korean agent obtains it for you.
How do we get a KIPO applicant code?
Your Korean agent files a registration request with the applicant's name, address and nationality, which you provide on a short return sheet. KIPO then issues the code. No notarisation is needed.
What if our name or address has changed?
The applicant record at KIPO must be updated before or together with the next filing. Tell your agent about the change when you instruct the case.